


A Gift from the Heavens

by eyeslikeonyx



Series: A Consort to a King [4]
Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Game of Thrones Fusion, Childbirth, Family, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-31
Updated: 2019-01-31
Packaged: 2019-10-20 00:38:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17612111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eyeslikeonyx/pseuds/eyeslikeonyx
Summary: With each passing day in King's Landing and the Red Keep, Sidney basks in the attention from the servants and the townspeople alike. Everyone is thrilled that the King and the King Consort finally have an heir on the way, and even the begrudging Councilmen that are not particularly fond of the King Consort are congratulating Sidney and his husband at finally bearing the heir they have fought so hard to conceive.With all the excitement keeping everyone occupied in the castle, Sidney has noticed that his body is changing much more rapidly than is normal for a pregnancy.





	A Gift from the Heavens

**Author's Note:**

> FINALLY! a new game of thrones snippet as arrived! thank you to everyone for all of your encouraging words and messages, and i am pleased to bring you a new piece to this universe! hope you all enjoy!
> 
> not beta’d so all mistakes are my own.
> 
> come talk to me on [tumblr](http://eyeslikeonyx.tumblr.com) if you'd like!

With each passing day in King's Landing and the Red Keep, Sidney basks in the attention from the servants and the townspeople alike. Everyone is thrilled that the King and the King Consort finally have an heir on the way, and even the begrudging Councilmen that are not particularly fond of the King Consort are congratulating Sidney and his husband at finally bearing the heir they have fought so hard to conceive.

Jake is excited to have a younger sibling to dote on, and even Flower’s two little girls are buzzing happily around Sidney and Flower every time the King Consort makes time to visit. Connor and Brian, as Sidney’s trusted aides, have taken to keeping the Lady of the North and Commander Letang up to date on everything that has to do with the babe and Sidney’s pregnancy. Taylor is very much excited to finally be an aunt and is currently making the trip to come see Sidney and her new niece or nephew to be.

With all the excitement keeping everyone occupied in the castle, Sidney has noticed that his body is changing much more rapidly than is normal for a pregnancy. Sarah has taken notice to the King Consort’s changes and keeps them written down on a piece of parchment for Sidney to read over later.

“My sister did not have these kinds of symptoms until much later in her pregnancy, Your Grace,” Sarah explains when she sees Sidney’s swelling feet. “You need to keep your feet elevated and free from shoes.”

Sidney quirks a brow at her.

“You have been doting on me like I am a patient and you are my physician as of late, child,” he remarks but not unkindly. Sarah has come to learn Sidney’s different tones of voice since coming to work for him. She grins as a deep blush graces her cheeks.

“I’ve always wanted to be a physician, but the education for it is very expensive and the role of being a physician is passed down between generations. Besides, there is no place for a woman to be anything more than a midwife.”

“I beg to differ,” Sidney scoffs. “You would make a fine physician, dear Sarah.”

Sarah smiles and shakes her head fondly at Sidney.

“Thank you for your kind words, Your Grace.”

 

Sidney knows something is not quite right when he wakes up in the middle of the night to very painful stabbing sensations encompassing his womb. Nicklas had warned the King and the King Consort that false labor pains are to be expected, but it does not mean that the child is meant to be born just yet. The child still has one month left of being inside of Sidney before it is to be brought into the world.

Sidney tries not to worry, but there is a lingering thought racing through his mind telling him that the babe will be here much sooner than planned. He unintentionally wakes his husband and breathes through the pain of yet more false labor pains, finding comfort in the way Zhenya holds his hand and breathes calmly into his shoulder. When the pain has passed, Sidney is too tired to speak. Zhenya lets him fall back asleep, not far behind him.

Sidney believes that the worst of the false labor pains are over with, but the following morning, they return with an ugly vengeance.

“My child, why must you torture me like this?” Sidney whines to his slightly bulging belly while sitting in his study. “You have caused me far too much pain, and I have not a clue as to why!” He is answered with a downright awful kick to his organs. Sidney gasps and holds back the tears. He glares at the unborn child.

“You are very lucky you are not here just yet.”

“Talking to the babe again, I see?” Sidney jolts up to see Zhenya leaning against the doorway, grinning happily. Sidney gives him an exasperated pout.

“It seems as if our own child hates me,” he groans.

“Our child does not hate you, my love,” Zhenya coos as he gathers his impregnated husband in his still strong arms. Sidney sighs into Zhenya’s chest.

“With how swollen and tired I have become, I would like to think otherwise.” Zhenya laughs.

“It will all be over before you know it.”

“I fucking hope so.”

Zhenya laughs even harder, which brings a small smile to Sidney’s face.

“Come, husband. You should rest your swollen feet.”

Sidney waves his wrist and sends his books back into their rightful hiding places. He is prepared to walk, but Zhenya sweeps him off of his feet before he can take another step. Sidney squeaks and wraps his arms tightly around Zhenya’s shoulders.

“I can walk just fine!” he weakly protests as Zhenya carries him out of the study and back to their chambers. “Please, Zhenya, I am far too heavy for you to carry!”

“Nonsense! I may be a brute to everyone in this realm, but you are my husband, and I will carry you everywhere if it is beneficial to your health. You are supposed to be resting to help keep the swelling around your feet at bay.”

Sidney blushes at the coos he gets from the maids and servants as Zhenya carries him down the corridors of the Red Keep.

 

That afternoon is spent in the meeting room with the Royal Council, which Sidney reluctantly attends. Head Councilman Bettman will not stop blabbering on and on about the Reach and how the Crown should be more concerned with this situation. Sidney stops paying attention halfway through Bettman’s rant simply because he cannot take the man’s whiny voice any longer. He sits there, bored out of his wits with nothing to do to keep him occupied because sex is no longer on the table for him and Zhenya anymore until the babe is born, much to Sidney’s chagrin.

The unexpected surge of excruciating agony inside Sidney’s womb is fast and unrelenting. Sidney screams and doubles over in his chair with Zhenya sitting to his left. Zhenya’s hand comes to rest on Sidney’s shoulder.

“Sidka? What’s happening?” he asks worriedly. Sidney takes a deep, shuddering breath. He is trying to make sense of the pain but can only whimper in response. He can feel the babe moving inside of him, but something is not entirely right with the surges of pain coursing through his body. These feel somewhat like the false labor pains he has been suffering through for the past two days, but he knows they are not.

“Zhenya, the babe—” Sidney only manages to say to his husband before crying out in misery as another harsh jolt rolls through him. The Royal Council is staring on in shock, but they are quickly running out of the room as soon as Zhenya barks at them to leave.

“Sasha! Find Nicklas now!”

“What’s going on?” Alex asks frantically.

“The babe is coming!”

 

Sidney is too terrified and worried to care about Zhenya and Alex carrying him back to his chambers to help get him prepared for the birth of his and his husband’s first child. This is not right; the babe should not be coming so early. What could have possibly gone wrong to cause the babe to be born so soon?

“Move him more to the center of the bed near the edge,” Nicklas commands as calmly as he can. The frazzled look in his eyes confirms Sidney’s deepest fears. This was not supposed to happen this soon. Zhenya props some pillows behind Sidney so as to give his back some support and then takes Sidney’s hand into his own.

“Everything is going to be fine, my Sidka,” Zhenya whispers sweetly against Sidney’s temple. Sidney lets Evgeni’s words wash over him and tries to calm himself so he can listen to Nicklas’ instructions.

“Keep your chin against your chest and take the deepest, slowest breaths you can,” Nicklas says. Sidney does what is asked of him and tries to focus on anything other than the pain he is facing. Councilman Bettman, Alex, and Sergei are standing in the corner of the royal chambers, watching as Sidney gives birth to the new rightful heir to the throne.

“I thought he was not to give birth this soon!” Bettman exclaims. “Why is this happening?”

“If I knew the answer to your idiotic question, I would have already answered you the first time,” Nicklas sneers without looking away from Sidney’s body. He snaps for one of the midwives—Catherine, Sidney remembers—to come closer and help him with whatever he is doing. Sidney cannot see since the sheet covering his legs is hiding the Royal Physician from him. He hears Nicklas whispering quick words to Catherine, and his heart almost stops when he hears the clanking of the physician’s surgical tools.

“Zhenya, what’s he doing?” Sidney demands. He screams and squeezes his husband’s hand with all of his strength when he feels the cold metal of the blade cut along the skin of his perineum. Zhenya does not try to free his hand from Sidney’s vicious hold, but the pained hiss from the King has Sidney apologizing profusely to his husband.

“I’m just trying to make it easier on you to deliver the babe, Your Grace,” Nicklas explains calmly. “There is nothing wrong with you or the babe, as far as I can tell. I just need you to keep breathing for me. That’s it. Marie, being me those clean cloths, please.”

The young midwife to Nicklas’ obeys and helps keep one of Sidney’s legs in the air by his ankle. Catherine has his other ankle, and Sidney cannot be bothered to be embarrassed about being exposed like he is. The pain is far too great for such trivial things to bother him.

“I see the babe’s head,” Nicklas says as he stays hidden under the sheet. Sidney squeezes Zhenya’s hand and wants to cry from fear and relief.

“What do you need me to do?” Sidney asks breathlessly.

“I will tell you when you can begin to push, but for now, I need you to keep your body relaxed and your breathing as deep and even as possible.”

Sidney nods, even though Nicklas cannot see him. He grits his teeth as another flood of misery tumbles through him. He cries out and lets the tears fall from his eyes. Zhenya does not try to shush him, only speaks loving words to him.

Sidney would love to tear his throat to pieces with his teeth if it means getting his husband to shut up already.

He barely hears when Nicklas tells him to start pushing, but he does as he is told and loses track of time after that. His vision is blurry with tears and lightheadedness and his body has gone numb from the pain. He cannot hear anything except for his own agonizing screams as he gives birth.

When he hears the shrill wails of his and Zhenya’s child, all pain seems to vanish without a trace. He lets the silent tears of relief fall from his eyes as he Zhenya holds him against his body and the pillows.

“Our child, Sidka,” Zhenya whispers into his husband’s naked shoulder. “Our child is here, my love.”

Sidney lets Zhenya softly kiss his mouth before resting his head back onto Zhenya’s chest.

Sidney can see Nicklas now that his legs have been lowered, and the young physician looks just as tired as Sidney feels but proud nonetheless. The cord connecting Sidney and the newborn babe has been severed already, and the midwives help clean off the babe and Sidney himself. He does not have the energy to do anything other than let them do their jobs.

“The babe looks healthy, Sidney,” Nicklas says softly with a smile to match. “Congratulations to you and the King.”

When the midwife taking care of Sidney and Zhenya’s firstborn has the babe covered with a blanket and ready to present to the Kings of Westeros, she looks terrified. Sidney’s grin falters, senses heightened.

“What’s wrong?” he asks. Marie audibly gulps.

“It’s a girl, Your Grace.”

Sidney can feel Zhenya stiffen from behind, and Sidney’s own heart cannot decide whether to soar or break.

A girl. Sidney has given birth to a little girl.

He and Zhenya had talked about this at length even before they had discovered Sidney was with child. They knew that a girl as a firstborn was not very likely since Sidney was showing every sign of having a boy and because all firstborns on both sides of their families going back seven generations have all been boys, but they had agreed that if Sidney was to give birth to a girl, they would still love her just as much as they would love their boy. She would be their firstborn, and they would be so thankful to have her.

Sidney looks back at his husband, who has tears welling up in his brown eyes. But he is not sad or angry; he looks just as happy as the moment Sidney had told him he was carrying their child. Sidney’s heart relaxes as he lets Zhenya press a sloppy kiss to his cheek.

Sidney weakly reaches forward to take his babe into his arms when Councilman Bettman suddenly snatches the child from Marie’s arms.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Sidney shouts. All strength seems to come back to Sidney as he sees the Councilman take his and Zhenya’s daughter away from them. Bettman glares at the two young men lying on the bed.

“There is no place for a girl in this court,” he explains meanly. “She will never be Queen, and she will only serve to be a poison to the Royal Family. She is a waste.”

“You can’t take her from us!” Sidney screams.

“She is not a waste!” Zhenya growls. “Give us back our child!”

“You do not seem to understand, do you, Your Graces? This thing cannot become Queen. Daughters as firstborns are a curse upon this land.”

“Councilman Bettman,” Sergei threatens, “if you do not give the babe back to the King and the King Consort, I will have no choice but to arrest you for treason against the Crown.”

“You know the law as well as I do, Gonchar. This child cannot live. A firstborn of the Royal Family must be a boy. If it is a girl, she must die.”

At that, Sidney raises his open palm to Bettman and a spark of blue hits the Councilman in the center of his back—not enough to hurt the Councilman or Sidney’s babe but enough to make him stop moving. The babe is still crying, begging for her fathers to take her into their arms, and Sidney’s rage only intensifies. The Councilman does not turn around.

“Give me back my daughter, Bettman,” Sidney commands in a low, dangerous voice, “or I will have no choice but to kill you with my own hands.”

“The law says—” he begins to say, still facing away from the King and King Consort.

“The law means nothing to me right now. All that matters to me is that my daughter is given back to me and my husband. And you will do just that, or you will suffer from the wrath of my husband and me. You are not King, not even a Consort to a King, and you are most certainly not a god of any kind. You have no power over me and my husband. You will not take our newborn daughter from us nor will you ever touch any of our children again. Have I made myself clear, Councilman?”

The room is deafeningly silent as Sidney waits for Councilman Bettman to turn around and to give him and Zhenya their daughter back. Sidney does not have to wait long, though, as Bettman’s shoulders sag and he reluctantly gives the child back to Marie’s waiting arms. He turns to glare at Sidney and gasps when he sees what Sidney knows is glowing golden eyes.

“A mage,” he breathes. Sidney smirks coldly.

“If you say anything to anyone beyond this room, I will not hesitate to kill you. I won’t need magic to do that, either.”

Bettman is forced out of the chambers by Alex and Sergei just as Marie gently places the still crying babe into Sidney’s outstretched arms.

“She looks healthy,” Nicklas explains. “She is small, yes, but she seems to be breathing well on her own. I will have to look over her more closely in the morning, but I will let you three be for now. The midwives will be here to watch over all of you for the night, and I will be right down the hall in case anything is to happen. I am very happy for you both. Get some rest. Congratulations, Your Graces.”

Sidney nods once to Nicklas and thanks him quietly. Zhenya shakes Nicklas’ hand and lets the midwives help him clean his equipment and out of the room.

Sidney takes a deep, quiet breath at the sight of his daughter. Her face is scrunched up as her cries turn to whimpers, and her hair is black as night. She is the most beautiful thing he has ever laid eyes on.

“Our daughter, Zhenya,” he whispers, never taking his eyes off of her. Zhenya hooks his chin over Sidney’s shoulder and drapes his arms gently around his husband’s now flattening stomach.

“She is beautiful, my love,” the King murmurs into Sidney’s sweaty, tangled hair. Fresh tears cascade down Sidney’s cheeks as he listens to Catherine’s instructions on how to feed his daughter. As the babe’s tiny mouth latches onto his breast, Sidney cannot help feeling overwhelmed with the realization that he has a daughter now. He birthed a child and brought life into this world. Life that shares his and Zhenya’s blood. She will carry on the Malkin name with pride.

“Zhenya,” Sidney suddenly says. Zhenya hums against Sidney’s skin. “I just realized something.”

“What is it?”

“We had been so sure that we were having a boy that we didn’t even think to have a name picked out if it was a girl.”

Sidney can see Zhenya making a face out of the corner of his eye.

“Fuck. What should we name her, then?”

“I haven’t a clue. I haven’t thought about it.”

Zhenya chuckles and tickles his husband’s skin with his little breaths.

“Some parents we are.”

“We need to give her a name,” Sidney persists. Zhenya shushes him quietly and kisses his temple.

“In the morning, my Sidka,” the King says. He gently caresses the babe’s dark hair atop her head and gives her a kiss as well. Sidney’s heart melts at the sight.

 

Come morning, Nicklas comes by to check on the babe—who still has no name to go by—and Zhenya’s mother comes in to see her new grandchild.

“She is beautiful,” Natalia coos as she holds the swaddled babe in her arms. “Is she eating well?”

“She seems to be,” Sidney replies. His body is sore and he is exhausted, but he has never felt better. Zhenya is lying next to him on the bed, holding him instinctively close like he always does. He does not seem as happy as he was last night, and Sidney can sense that something is bothering his husband.

“Is everything all right, my love?” Sidney asks. Zhenya does not reply, instead kissing Sidney’s forehead and leaning them back into the pillows once more.

“Mama?” Zhenya finally asks a few minutes later.

“Yes, Zhenya?” Natalia replies, still looking at her granddaughter.

“When was it made a law that if the firstborn of our family is a girl that she must be killed on sight?”

Natalia sighs.

“I knew he wouldn’t keep his promise,” the former Queen murmurs bitterly to herself. Sidney’s brows arch.

“Are you speaking of King Vladimir?” he questions, hesitance evident in his voice. He does not wish to overstep his boundaries and insult the late King, and Natalia seems to understand why he is asking. She nods sullenly.

“Yes. I speak of my late husband.”

Zhenya’s face is pinched at the revelation.

“Seven generations ago,” Natalia explains, “we were in the Great War. At the time, Queen Kritanta was the ruler of this land, and she was pure evil. When her family was destroyed by our family, our ancestors swore that they would never let a woman become Queen once more for fear of evil coming upon her and the rest of this family. And the law of Westeros states that the firstborn, boy or girl, will be the rightful heir to the throne.”

“So the ancestors made a law to murder the firstborn child of the King if she is a girl?” Sidney asks in disbelief. Looking at his daughter now, as she sleeps soundly in her grandmother’s arms, he cannot imagine her being anything other than a kind, beautiful soul to everyone around her.

“Yes,” Natalia confesses with a grimace. “It is a cruel law but one we have not had to worry about for many generations. All of the firstborns of this family have been boys, so we have never had to think about it. But I wanted that law eradicated when Vladimir was still King. I begged and pleaded, and for years he kept saying that the law was put in place for a reason.

“It wasn’t until we were older that he decided the law was far too barbaric, and he promised me he would have the law banished. I should have known he would never do it. Hopefully you two can convince the rest of the Council not to have the babe killed. I believe you can, but Bettman is very good at persuasion.”

“As am I,” Sidney retorts. Natalia grins knowingly at him.

“My son is, too.”

Sidney smiles fondly at Zhenya, but the King is not smiling. He looks somber and heartbroken all the same.

“Can I hold my daughter, please, Mama?” Zhenya asks. Natalia hands the babe to Zhenya and watches fondly as her son cuddles his daughter close to his chest. The babe yawns against her father’s chest before settling against him once more. Sidney rests his head on Zhenya’s shoulder and watches on happily as the two of them seem to be bonding right before his eyes.

“Our daughter is not a curse,” Zhenya says firmly. “She is not a waste. She is a babe that will make her own destiny. She will be how we raise her to be, and no one can tell us the kind of woman—the kind of Queen—she will become. But I know one thing is for sure: she will be Queen of Westeros one day. And she will be the greatest Queen our people will ever know.”

Sidney’s eyes burn with tears as he kisses his husband’s cheek and then his daughter’s forehead. Natalia looks just as happy as Sidney feels, and he knows that good things will come for their family.

There is just one problem.

“Before she can ever become Queen, though,” Sidney says, breaking the peaceful moment, “she still needs a name.”

Zhenya rolls his eyes.

“Why don’t you like Nadia?” he whines.

“It doesn’t sound regal enough,” Sidney says for the umpteenth time since discussing names for their daughter.

“Nothing sounds regal enough to you. Sidney isn’t a regal name, yet here you are.”

“I wasn’t born into royalty.”

“You were born into nobility, though.”

“Doesn’t matter. I was not planning on becoming royalty of any kind. Our daughter deserves a name that people can admire. Her name should be something to show how important she is, how much she should be loved and respected by our people. She was a gift to us from the heavens, and she should be treated as such.”

That seems to spark something in Zhenya because the King is suddenly grinning from ear to ear.

“What’s that look for?” Sidney asks cautiously.

“Diana.”

Sidney raises a brow at his husband.

“What?”

“Diana,” Zhenya repeats. “The name Diana means heavenly and divine. She is a blessing from the heavens, and her name should most certainly reflect that.”

Sidney is quiet as he thinks. He cannot think of any reason to dislike the name. As he looks at his daughter once more, she most certainly looks like the most divine creature he has ever seen.

“Diana Natalia Trina Malkin,” Sidney whispers to himself. Zhenya seems to hear him because he hums softly into Sidney’s freshly brushed hair.

“I think it’s perfect, my love.”

Diana chooses that moment to stir and let out a small wail, and Sidney is immediately reaching for her.

“Come here, my Diana,” he coos to his daughter as he helps her latch onto him so she can eat. When she finally does, Sidney burrows himself further into his husband and the pillows, content to lie here in the peacefulness of the morning sun shining through the curtains and the reverence of his blossoming little family.

“I will leave you two alone now,” Natalia says softly. “If you need anything, come find me.”

“We will, Mama,” Zhenya promises. Natalia smiles warmly before kissing her son, her son-in-law, and her granddaughter on their foreheads one by one before quietly leaving their chambers. Sidney sighs happily as Zhenya sweetly pets Diana’s head.

“We truly are blessed, my love,” Sidney says. Zhenya kisses Sidney’s shoulder.

“Yes,” he agrees. “We most certainly are.”


End file.
